Collective Book Haul

7/7/2017

Wanted to share some books that I recently hauled. Most of them are from the thrift store and I was so ecstatic to score such great books there! Also all of the thrift books were in such a great condition, I was so pleasantly surprised!

Note: not all of the books I got are pictured in this collective photo, keep scrolling down for more. I left the most exciting things for the end.

One of my goals for this year is to read more classics, so the first book I got was a classic.

1. Villette by Charlotte Bronte.

My 'read more classics goal' particularly involves reading ALL of the Bronte sisters. I have already read Wuthering Heights, and now I got Villette by Charlotte.

Arguably Brontë's most refined and deeply felt work, Villette draws on her profound loneliness following the deaths of her three siblings. Lucy Snowe, the narrator of Villette,flees from an unhappy past in England to begin a new life as a teacher at a French boarding school in the great cosmopolitan capital of Villette. Soon Lucy's struggle for independence is overshadowed by both her friendship with a worldly English doctor and her feelings for an autocratic schoolmaster. Brontë's strikingly modern heroine must decide if there is any man in her society with whom she can live and still be free.
Very excited!

2. The Thief (series) by Megan Whalen Turner.

Next I managed to snatch up 3 books of the 4-book series by Megan W Turner. I didn't know anything about these books, but on one of the covers there was a praise by Leigh Bardugo so I was sold immediately. Then I looked them up and they have pretty terrific ratings, so I am very excited. The sad part is - I got books number 2,3 and 4. But there was no book number 1. I guess that's just a downside of shopping second hand.

The king's scholar, the magus, believes he knows the site of an ancient treasure. To attain it for his king, he needs a skillful thief, and he selects Gen from the king's prison. The magus is interested only in the thief's abilities.

What Gen is interested in is anyone's guess. Their journey toward the treasure is both dangerous and difficult, lightened only imperceptibly by the tales they tell of the old gods and goddesses.

3. The lost girls by Heather Young.

Here is a synopsis of this book, because I know nothing of it, but it caught me eye. Got this one from the thrift store as well.

In the summer of 1935, six-year-old Emily Evans vanishes from her family’s vacation home on a remote Minnesota lake. Her disappearance destroys her mother, who spends the rest of her life at the lake house, hoping in vain that her favorite daughter will walk out of the woods. Emily’s two older sisters stay, too, each keeping her own private, decades-long vigil for the lost child.

Sixty years later Lucy, the quiet and watchful middle sister, lives in the lake house alone. Before she dies, she writes the story of that devastating summer in a notebook that she leaves, along with the house, to the only person to whom it might matter: her grandniece, Justine.

For Justine, the lake house offers a chance to escape her manipulative boyfriend and give her daughters the stable home she never had. But it’s not the sanctuary she hoped for. The long Minnesota winter has begun. The house is cold and dilapidated, the frozen lake is silent and forbidding, and her only neighbor is a strange old man who seems to know more than he’s telling about the summer of 1935.

Soon Justine’s troubled oldest daughter becomes obsessed with Emily’s disappearance, her mother arrives with designs on her inheritance, and the man she left behind launches a dangerous plan to get her back. In a house steeped in the sorrows of the women who came before her, Justine must overcome their tragic legacy if she hopes to save herself and her children.

4. The mystery of the blue train by Agatha Christie.

In my summer tbr post I said that I wanted to read something by Christie, so I got this one. It really doesn't matter which one I read, all of the mystery books are pretty good. Some are better, some are mediocre, but still. I got such love for Agatha Christie from my mom :)

A mysterious woman, a legendary cursed jewel, and a night train to the Mediterranean -- ingredients for the perfect romance or the perfect crime? When the train stops, the jewel is missing, and the woman is found dead in her compartment. It's the perfect mystery, filled with passion, greed, deceit. And Hercule Poirot is the perfect detective to solve it...

You can read my summer TBR post down below.

My summer TBR post

5. Big magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

I also got one non-fiction book, as this have been on my radar for a while. Something to get inspired from, hopefully. Gotten this like-new copy from the thrift store.

Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert’s books for years. Now this beloved author digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity. With profound empathy and radiant generosity, she offers potent insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives. Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the “strange jewels” that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work, embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy.

6. Forest of a thousand lanterns by Julie C. Dao

I was very lucky to have won this ARC from a Goodreads giveaway! Up till this point I didn't think it was possible to win GR giveaways :) This book has been everywhere lately, and I really hope that it proves to be worth the hype! And if not, well then look at that cover! It's beautiful. Very excited to read.

An East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl's quest to become Empress--and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny.

Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be Empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her. Growing up as a peasant in a forgotten village on the edge of the map, Xifeng longs to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, the witch Guma, who has read the cards and seen glimmers of Xifeng's majestic future. But is the price of the throne too high?

Because in order to achieve greatness, she must spurn the young man who loves her and exploit the callous magic that runs through her veins--sorcery fueled by eating the hearts of the recently killed. For the god who has sent her on this journey will not be satisfied until his power is absolute.

7. The day the angels fell by Shawn Smucker.

Here is another ARC win, this time from LibraryThing. I was ecstatic when I got this one! The cover drawn me in immediately, and the synopsis sounds very good too.

It was the summer of storms and strays and strangers. The summer that lightning struck the big oak tree in the front yard. The summer his mother died in a tragic accident. As he recalls the tumultuous events that launched a surprising journey, Samuel can still hardly believe it all happened.
After his mother's death, twelve-year-old Samuel Chambers would do anything to turn back time. Prompted by three strange carnival fortune-tellers and the surfacing of his mysterious and reclusive neighbor, Samuel begins his search for the Tree of Life--the only thing that could possibly bring his mother back. His quest to defeat death entangles him and his best friend Abra in an ancient conflict and forces Samuel to grapple with an unwelcome question: could it be possible that death is a gift?
Haunting and hypnotic, The Day the Angels Fell is a story that explores the difficult questions of life in a voice that is fresh, friendly, and unafraid. With this powerful debut, Shawn Smucker has carved out a spot for himself in the tradition of authors Madeleine L'Engle and Lois Lowry.

Those are all of my books that I have hauled in the last month. Very excited to read them. And very excited to go back and score some more awesome deals.
Do you shop for books at your local thrift stores?

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I am a lost girl, a traveler,
a dragon rider, a thief, a dreamer.
I am a reader.